A birthday celebration is planned for the late Steve Soto, founding member and bassist the Southern California punk band the Adolescents, who died last year at age 54. (File photo by David Brendan Hall, contributing photographer)

Greg Antista met his lifelong friend and future punk legend Steve Soto in a drafting class at Troy High School in Fullerton about 40 years ago.

Although he was still in school, Soto had already founded the seminal punk band Agent Orange and had just formed the Adolescents, one of the best known punk groups to rise out of the Orange County hardcore scene.

“He was already larger than life and a rock star on campus…we were tight for the rest of our lives,” Antista said as he fondly remembered his friend, who passed away in his sleep a year ago shortly after recording a few songs with Antista at his studio.

It was the last time Soto, who formed and performed with several other bands during his long career, would ever sing and play music.

But his friends are now coming together to rock in his honor with a birthday celebration show for the late punk legend at Alex’s Bar on Aug. 23.

“Steve always really loved celebrating his birthday…it wouldn’t be uncommon to book two or three of his bands during his birthday week and we would spend it at Alex’s. So it’s really appropriate that we’re getting together to celebrate his birthday there,” said Antista, who is on the lineup with his band Greg Antista & The Lonely Streets along with the Adolescents, The Vulturas and some surprise guests for the birthday show.

People can expect to hear music spanning Soto’s decades-long career, which included stints in other bands like Joyride (with Antista), 22 Jacks, and Manic Hispanic.

But Soto is perhaps best known for his work with the Adolescents, which he founded in 1980 after spending a year with Agent Orange.

“Steve and the Adolescents created vocal harmonies and what’s now called the Orange County sound, that wouldn’t be there without him,” Antista said.

The band has recorded nine albums, including last year’s “Cropduster,” which was released about a month after Soto’s June 27 death at the age of 54.

Soto had just wrapped up an East Coast tour with the Adolescents when he joined Antista’s at a studio to record backing vocals for Foxy, one of Antista’s other bands.

“It was like a time machine, we were young again. We were having fun, we were joking around and most of the night was just having fun. And when it came time to get serious he went out and did everything in one take. That’s how good he was,” Antista remembered.

“I took him home, dropped him off and we both said ‘Great time, I’ll call you tomorrow,’ and he went to sleep and didn’t wake up again,” he said.

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